Apple Pie Contest

Apple Pie Contest

I’m going to an apple pie contest today in my town. I’m not entering it. I’m not judging. I’ve been asked to present the award to the three winners. What better thing to do on the Fourth of July. Right? So yesterday I was thinking about the first pie contest I entered, and the first contest I judged, and I began to look through old archived photos on my computer. It’s a good thing to do that every once in a while…and such a walk down memory lane. I also was horrified to see that there were over 100,000 files inside of the “Trash” on my computer! Don’t need that stuff anymore. I have to say that it was kinda empowering to push the “Delete” button and lighten up my load. Yes, I have backups if necessary. 😉 

BUT…while I was going through all of this, I found two pages from a cookbook that had belonged to the mother of my oldest and dearest friend, and since there is an apple pie recipe in it, I’m sharing it with you. It has an interesting technique of placing a custard cup upside down in a buttered casserole and placing the fruit, sweetener, and seasonings around it.  No bottom crust is used but a top crust is. 

I had already read and written about the cup technique in a book written by John MacPherson, who came to America in 1906 from London. He was called “The Mystery Chef”, had a radio show, and in his book from 1934 used the inverted tea cup to draw up the juices in his apple pie. Hmmmm….I wonder if that’s what makes it an English Apple Pie. There are a few other pie recipes on these pages. I haven’t tried any of them, but they were special to someone once and maybe they will become special to you, too.

One last thing…as Simran Sethi brings to our attention, Apple Pie is a very Interdependent Pie of which we are all a part. Please enjoy these words that she wrote for NPR a year ago. 

Happy Fourth and Happy Pie!